


Tobe! Gōkaiger!! : "Fly! Gōkaiger!!"

by bittenfeld



Category: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
Genre: Confrontations, Explicit Sexual Content, First Kiss, Foreplay, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Male Slash, Rough Kissing, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-16 11:07:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12341457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bittenfeld/pseuds/bittenfeld
Summary: a first time story between Joe and Marvelous.  (not completely written out in full story-form yet.)  Joe has been at odds with Marvelous recently, not recognizing his feelings for what they are, until he gets some assistance from an unexpected quarter.  And then it’s no-holds-barred for either of them…New - chapter 2:  … Joe looks so perfect, it’s beyond anything Marvelous had imagined. And it’s all Marvelous can do to keep from dragging him down right then and there, and molesting him thoroughly and wonderfully…... Joe’s eyes half-close as his tongue-tip peeks out to moisten his full lips. At the sight, a little moan escapes Marvelous’s lips, and they embrace again in a passionate kiss. Joe frees one hand to unfasten Marvelous’s vest and shirt buttons, then slides the garments off his shoulders. Fingers slide down against the bare skin of shoulder blades...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> a Gokaiger x Jetman crossover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> … Marvelous is really getting Joe’s nerves. Marvelous confronts him about his behavior, not angrily but directly – “what’s going on with you? what’s gotten into you? are you in some kind of trouble that I need to know about?” “No,” Joe insists quietly but firmly. “Just leave me alone.”…

Joe is out in the bamboo woods practicing his dual-sword kata, cutlass and sabre, concentrating very deeply, meditating, one with his technique.  It’s almost a dance, a ballet in the air.  at one point he has tossed the sabre into the air, his rhythm just right to catch it as he leaps and twirls, even with his eyes closed.  It’s almost as though the laws of gravity have been suspended.  He is not aware that Captain Marvelous is watching him.

Marvelous doesn’t intend to interrupt, he knows that this time alone is important to Joe,  But he was enjoying some alone-time of his own, taking a stroll away from the ship and the others, and he just happened upon Joe.  So he decided to stop and watch the graceful powerful performance.

Finally at one moment when Joe about to execute a very detailed move, Marvelous accidentally makes a noise, maybe a shuffling sound in the carpet of leaves, making Joe lose his focus.  Startled, and probably thinking it might the Zangyack sneaking up on him, Joe’s eyes snap open, as his attention turns toward Marvelous for just a split-second, and the sword he was about to catch falls and gashes his cheek.  Marvelous apologizes, but it’s a light casual apology, as he was enjoying the view, whereas Joe feels that he was intruded upon.  And with that ever-present smile, Marvelous reaches up a thumb and wipes the blood from Joe’s cheek.  In irritation, Joe pulls away and strides past him.  Marvelous calls after Joe, apologizing again, but Joe just ignores him and leaves.

* * * * *

Joe is walking in town, maybe looking for lunch, when suddenly he feels someone is following him.  Thinking it’s Marvelous, he shrugs in irritation, and says something as he starts to turn around to face him.  But no one is there.

This happens several times throughout the next few days, and even once or twice when the rest of the team, or at least some of them, are around.  Back on the Gokai Galleon, Ahim or one of them asks him about it (they haven’t sensed anything unusual), what does he think it could be, does it feel threatening?  And Marvelous, in his normal light casualness, suggests, “sounds like you’ve got a secret ghost admirer.”  Again, Joe just leaves the room, thinking that Marvelous is making fun of him.

* * * * *

Another time while everybody is relaxing on the Galleon, Marvelous is walking past Joe, behind him, then impulsively flicks a finger at Joe’s ponytail, and suggests, “Why don’t you ever let you hair loose, I bet you’d look great.”  Luka and Ahim immediately agree.

But Joe is put off by personal comments, and leaves the room again.

The girls question, “What’s the matter with Joe-san these days?”

But Marvelous can only shrug – he doesn’t know any more than they do (totally clueless that he is bugging the hell out of him…!)

* * * * *

The team is attacked by the Gormin Soldiers, led by a flying Action Commander monster, Galactor-Makai.  To fight him, they henshin into Jetman.  As they fight, Joe has problems, as though someone – or something – else is trying to control his fighting.  Afterwards when they transform back to Gôkaiger, Joe has trouble changing from Black Condor back to Gokai Blue.  They’re all surprised, but the fight is still going on, so Joe continues to fight as Jetman.  And then even when they power down, he has to struggle for the Jetman-power to dissipate.

Back at the Gokai Galleon they talk about it.  They’ve never had any problems with the various henshins before.  One of them suggests they better not use the Jetman keys until the problem is figured out. The others are starting to think maybe it really is a ghost.  But Joe doesn’t say much.  He’s trying to figure it all out by himself.  
* * * * *

When Joe and Marvelous are alone on the Gokai Galleon, Marvelous is really getting Joe’s nerves. Marvelous confronts him about his behavior, not angrily but directly – “what’s going on with you? what’s gotten into you? are you in some kind of trouble that I need to know about?”

“No,” Joe insists quietly but firmly.  “Just leave me alone.” 

Marvelous ignores the request.  “You’ve been acting strange lately.  Does this have anything to do with the Jetman henshin problem?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did you do something to cause it?”

“Of course not!”

Joe stands up to leave.  Marvelous is right in front of him and shows no sign of stepping aside.  “I can’t have my first-mate acting like this.  Either you need to tell me what’s going on, or you need to solve it yourself.   Because this can’t go on like this.”

Sharply Joe looks at him, as Marvelous has never talked to him like that before.  Then breaking eye contact and looking down, Joe insists quietly but firmly, “Get out of my way.  Please.”

But Marvelous won’t, so Joe starts to push right past him.  Marvelous reaches for his shoulder to hold him back.  That’s the last straw.  Suddenly Joe has had enough, and abruptly he wheels around, grabs Marvelous’s arms and thrusts him against the bulkhead, pins him back.  And then in hot emotion, without warning, even before he’s aware of what he’s going to do, he grabs a fistful of hair, slams Marvelous’s head against the bulkhead, then bring his mouth down onto Marvelous’s for a rough brutal kiss.  But then abruptly Joe comes to his senses, pulls back, horrified and embarrassed at himself that he did that.  He stares, stunned, at Marvelous.  Blood wells from where Marvelous’s lower lip was cut against his teeth.  Marvelous is definitely surprised as well, but not embarrassed.  Instead, shock shifts and evolves into curious interest.  And with a little side grin, as he raises a hand to wipe away the blood, he comments casually, “Well, that was unexpected.  So… why did you stop?”

More embarrassed than ever, Joe tries to leave the room, but this time Marvelous stops him, blocks his way.  “Y’know, if you really wanted to kiss me, all you ever had to do was ask.”  He reaches to the bruise on the back of his head.  “And I don’t mind rough kisses, but you really didn’t need to bang my head against the wall.”

Abashedly, quickly, softly, Joe apologizes, “…sorry….” then pushes past Marvelous and hurries out of the room.

Marvelous calls after him, “Oi, Joe, don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep,” and smiles to himself over this interesting unexpected turn of events.  
* * * * *

Alone in his cabin, sitting on the edge of his bunk, Joe tries to think this through.  His heart is pounding, breath trembling.  And worse than that, the emotional intensity has given him an erection.  He certainly never meant to do that – or did he?  Now, as though finally unchecked, arousal races through him, and unbidden images flood his mind of him and Marvelous in the throes of passion.  Has he wanted this all along?  Is that what the long-standing conflict between him and Marvelous has been all about – him blocking his hidden desires?  Obviously Marvelous has no problem with it.  Joe is trembling, he doesn’t know what to do.

And suddenly once again he feels that someone is in the room with him.  Cautiously reaching for his sword, he demands, “Who’s there? Show yourself!” 

And this time when he turns, he does see someone. 

A forty-ish black-haired man in black shirt and black slacks is standing on the other side of the bed, staring intently at him, a smug smile on taut lips.  There is a bloody gash ripping the man’s shirt across his stomach that looks like it should have been a mortal wound.  “Don’t you know why you’re feeling the way you are?” he questions assertively out of the blue.  “Can’t you even see it?”

Joe is too startled to answer the intrusive interrogation.  Instead, holding his sword at the ready, he demands,  “Who are you? How did you get in here?”

“The same way I’ve been watching you recently – practicing your kata out in the woods, then fighting the Zangyack with your team yesterday.  The way I followed you in town the other day.”

Joe is getting freaked out.  He’s about ready to attack.

The man smiles, arms open.  “Go on – try running me through.  See how far that gets you.”

And suddenly Joe realizes something:  the man’s form is faintly translucent.  “You’re a ghost,” he blurts.

“Smart boy,” the phantom winks.

Joe isn’t afraid, but on top of the emotional overload from his confrontation with Marvelous, his body is quivering with adrenalin.  “What do you want?” he insists again.

The intruder strolls around to his side of the bed.  Joe notices that the man’s feet don’t quite touch the floor.

“To awaken you before it’s too late.  Sometimes I keep an eye on the Super Sentai who came after me.  And you need some help before you lose out on something very precious – more precious than the treasure you and your friends are seeking.”

“You’re sentai?” Joe questions, still off-balance.  “What team?”

“Let me tell you a story,” the specter offers, side-stepping Joe’s queries.  “It takes place about twenty years ago.  Our team was close, very close.  Except for one asshole who screwed things up royally.  He tried to seduce one of his teammates.  Her name was Kaori.  She wasn’t that pretty, but he had to have her.  Maybe he loved her – although it was probably more lust – but our leader, Ryû, did love her and she loved him; and the asshole had to show him that he could take her away from him.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Joe interrupts in irritation.  “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Sit down and listen anyway,” the man insists.  Then turning toward the cabin’s porthole to gaze out at the cloud-wisped sky, eyes glinting with old memories, he continues.  “Of course it interfered with our camaraderie – not to mention our battle strategy – and caused a lot of hard feelings.  Finally he did win her over, and they lived together for about a month.  Well, that turned out to be a massive disaster, and finally the relationship fell apart in a huge fight.  And she ended up with Ryû after all.”

“So what’s your point?” Joe retorts.

His visitor turns back to him, steps close.  “The point is, after everything went to hell, practically ripping the team apart, the asshole realized it wasn’t Kaori he wanted after all, and never had been – it was his former friend and partner, Ryû, who he’d loved and cared about and wanted all along.  Only he’d been too blind and hard-headed to realize it, never willing to admit that to himself.”

Joe’s eyes close.  All he can think about is Marvelous’s face… Marvelous’s eyes… Marvelous’s lips…

“And looking back over things, when it was already way too late,” the ghost continues, “it was obvious that Ryû had wanted it too, but never said anything, at first because he was too hesitant, and then later because of the bitter conflict between them.  Finally Ryû and Kaori married – and on their wedding day, as they were coming out of the church, the asshole was attacked by a street thug and mortally wounded.  He died in Ryû’s arms.  And any chance that they might have had between them was lost forever.”

The man watches Joe, a bittersweet smile on his lips.  “I see myself in you,” the ghost admits. “You are so much like me – the lone wolf, who won’t let anyone close.  Who desires to hone his strengths to perfection, yet cuts off the greatest source of empowerment.” 

But Joe insists, “I have friends – I care for my teammates, and they care for me.  Even Marvelous – we may have our differences, but we’re always there for each other.”

“Sure,” the man understands, but insists, “But you don’t open your heart fully to anyone.  The day when you were in the woods practicing with your swords, instead of your captain’s presence interrupting you, it should have given you greater strength, if only you had recognized it.  “And although you are like me in some ways,” the man mentions, “at least you’re not an asshole.  And Marvelous doesn’t share Ryû’s hesitancy.  What do you think he’s been trying to tell you all along?  How much more obvious does he need to be?  Now that he sees you coming around, he’ll go after it, even if you hang back.  Don’t hang back.  Ryû and I lost our chance.  Don’t you lose yours.”

And Joe finally nods his acknowledgement.  And looking up at his visitor, he asks again, “Now tell me who you are.”

The man winks. “Don’t you know?  Ask your Sentai-fanboy about Yûki Gai.”  And for just a brief moment, the image of Black Condor, second-in-command of Jetman, wisps over his form, a ghost overlaying a ghost, then the entire image fades and vanishes.

And Joe is alone again, with a decision to make.

* * * * *

Again the team is called to battle Galactor-Makai.  It’s a brutal fight, and they’re close to losing, but then Joe suggests some team-strategy to Marvelous, and Marvelous agrees.  And suddenly the Jetman keys are empowered, and the Gôkaigers are able to win.

  
_to be continued_ …


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> … Joe looks so perfect, it’s beyond anything Marvelous had imagined. And it’s all Marvelous can do to keep from dragging him down right then and there, and molesting him thoroughly and wonderfully…  
> ... Joe’s eyes half-close as his tongue-tip peeks out to moisten his full lips. At the sight, a little moan escapes Marvelous’s lips, and they embrace again in a passionate kiss. Joe frees one hand to unfasten Marvelous’s vest and shirt buttons, then slides the garments off his shoulders. Fingers slide down against the bare skin of shoulder blades...

The next time Joe is goes to practice his kata in the bamboo forest, he invites Marvelous to come practice with him.  And a little glint in his eye suggests it might be more than just sword practice he’s talking about.  Marvelous is in the middle of something, but he’ll come as soon as he’s finished, and his smile shows that he’s quite eager to come.

When Marvelous arrives, swords in hand, he discovers to his delight that Joe is looking gorgeous, dressed in kimono and hakama, a gift he’d received from Lady Shiba Kaoru (Princess ShinkenRed) as a token of respect of his swordsmanship after their duel, and the subsequent coöperation between the Shinkengers and Gôkaigers.  And his hair is drawn up into a high ponytail, in the style of a youthful samurai.  Marvelous is in appreciative awe of his friend’s transformation.  In fact he looks so perfect, it’s beyond anything Marvelous had imagined.  And it’s all Marvelous can do to keep from dragging him down right then and there, and molesting him thoroughly and wonderfully.

Marvelous doesn’t say anything, but is just admiring Joe’s form.  Joe sees him; and this time, rather than having his form interrupted, Joe perfectly executes a detailed maneuver.  Then ending his practice, Joe strolls over to Marvelous, smiling quietly.

Marvelous applauds.  “Very showy,” he compliments.

Joe asks if he wants to run through some kata together.  Marvelous agrees, but admits that looking at Joe, he’ll have a hard time keeping his mind on the kata.  Not to mention he has another kind of practice in mind as well.  Joe just gives a tiny smile – maybe that’s what he had in mind all along too…

They spar.  Joe is the better swordsman, but they know each other’s skill and style so well, that Marvelous can pretty much hold his own, and they’re pretty evenly matched.  Finally though, Joe gets the advantage, knocking the sword from Marvelous’s hand and laying his own blade along Marvelous’s neck.  And Marvelous cedes the fight.

Marvelous asks, “So, have you exorcised your ghost problem yet?”

Joe nods, explains about Yûki Gai, and adds what Gai said about Marvelous not being hesitant like Ryû.

“Well, he’s right,” Marvelous agrees.  “Because I wasn’t going to let you walk away again.”  As Joe turns, Marvelous reaches out and takes his arm.  “Not anymore.  Not ever again.”

Joe smiles.  “I’m not planning on leaving this time.”

 “Good.  Because I’d hate to have to hunt you down and drag you back,” – Marvelous’s lips say, though the predatorial glint his eyes says just the opposite.

Marvelous pulls him close for another kiss, “You got in the first one – now it’s my turn…”

It’s a long heavy passionate one, and this time Joe doesn’t break it.  Tongues collide, lips explore, hands stroke, slide beneath clothing.  “You know,” Marvelous murmurs, as hands and mouths explore, “last time, you left me hard and wanting.”

Joe’s lips caress.  “Me too,” he breathes.

At that, Marvelous pulls back.  “You too?  And then you just vanished into your cabin, and didn’t invite me in so we could do something about it?”

Joe smiles.  “Well, it might have been kind of embarrassing since Yûki-san was in my room.”

Marvelous makes a jealous face.  “Oh, great, so you deliberately get me hard, then run off and jump into bed with another man… well, okay, a ghost… well, I mean… that is…”

“Marvelous…?”

“… hmm…?”

“Shut up,” Joe interrupts benignly, then proceeds to shut him up with a full kiss on the mouth.  “… And do something useful with that mouth of yours…” – a touch of lips to the side of Marvelous’s neck – “…besides blathering on…” – a caress of tongue along an exposed jawline – “like an idiot…”

Marvelous grins, all too willing to comply, responding with a little nip of teeth to a vulnerable carotid, drawing a hiss between Joe’s teeth.

In between caresses, Marvelous asks, “Have you ever done this before?”

Joe shakes his head.  “No, I’ve been on the run from the Zangyack for awhile.  That kind of takes up all your attention.”

“Well, I just thought maybe with your friend, Sid.”

Immediately Joe’s countenance darkens  and his eyes moisten at the thought of his lost companion-turned-cyborg for the Zangyack.  “No, we… never had the time… to even find out if…”  His voice catches, and he blinks back wetness.

Marvelous realizes he shouldn’t have brought up a sore memory.  “Yeah… sorry.  So, you’re a virgin, huh?  Mm, you’ll be the first virgin I’ve ever had.”

Joe regains his composure.  “Yeah?  So what about you? how many lovers have you had?” he queries.

Marvelous makes a face.  “Oi, you expect me to remember every one?”

“No – just round it to the nearest hundred.”

“Mm.”  Marvelous has to cogitate for a bit.  Then glancing up brightly, he announces, “Zero.”

“Zero, hnh?”  Joe gives him a wry look.  “So, you’re virgin too?  I don’t believe it.”

Marvelous shrugs.  “I’ve been on the move as long as you have.  Not much time for deep relationships.”

“I assumed maybe you and Basco, while you were still friends, before he… betrayed…”

At the name, a split-second dangerous warning flashes behind Marvelous’s eyes, which he immediately masks behind a casual snort of disdain.  “ _That_ would have been fireworks, wouldn’t it?” then mildly adds, “I guess we both have old baggage, don’t we?”

Immediately intending to defuse his unintentional faux-pas, Joe turns toward Marvelous, shuttered eyes offering suggestively, “Well, what do you say, let’s both forget about our old pasts for right now, and light some fireworks of our own.”

“I would say, that’s exactly what Yûki-san was hoping for,” Marvelous agrees.

Joe smiles, mimics his partner’s tag-line:  “And let’s make it showy.”

Marvelous grins at his lover, reminding, “Showy is the only way I ride…!”  Then reaching for Joe’s clothing, he slips a hand inside the front of Joe’s kimono again, then parts the edges of material.  And his breathing quickens as he views the bared chest.

Joe’s eyes half-close as his tongue-tip peeks out to moisten his full lips.  At the sight, a little moan escapes Marvelous’s lips, and they embrace again in a passionate kiss.  Joe frees one hand to unfasten Marvelous’s vest and shirt buttons, then slides the garments off his shoulders.  Fingers slide down against the bare skin of shoulder blades.

Hands mutually explore, discard clothing as fast as they can. 

Marvelous’s thumbs describe circles around Joe’s nipples, then lips descend on the erect nubs before thumbs and fingers return to pinch and twist lightly.  At that, Joe’s legs go rubbery and they both sink to the ground.

“ _Now_ is it all right to let your hair loose?” Marvelous teases.

Joe rolls his eyes and sighs.  “Yes, go ahead… since you’re not going to stop asking, are you?”

“Nope, never.”  Marvelous looses Joe’s long ponytail, buries his arms and face in the long black tresses.  And they make intense love there on the forest floor.

They can’t get enough of each other, both quivering with hot need and excitement, yet wanting it to last.   Sensually Joe reaches down and cups Marvelous’s balls, lifts the sac and fingers it ever so gently.  At the sensation, Marvelous arches up as his eyes go blank and his head tips back.  Getting just the reaction he wants, Joe continues working the loose skin, even pinching just a little… just a little with his fingernails, just to the edge of threatened pain, and Marvelous responds ever so perfectly, body quivering while little begging whimpers and mewls break from parted lips.

Joe’s touch slides over Marvelous’s firm slender buttocks, then moving behind him, he takes liberties to slide his finger in deeper and touch Marvelous’s anus, then push in just an inch, just to the first knuckle.  Abruptly Marvelous’s whole body spasms, and with a cry of shock, his eyes roll back, and his head falls back against Joe’s shoulder.  Erotically, purposefully, Joe continues the stimulation, pushing his whole finger in and rotating it to stimulate all the tender nerves.

Drowning in ecstasy, Marvelous begs desperately, breathily, “Stop!  Joe!  I can’t… hold it back…!”

Joe’s lips caress an ear.  “You’re not supposed to,” he reminds, breath just as helpless, as his fingers slip from the secret place to reach forward and grasp a hard swollen leaking organ, fingers rubbing over the wet head and rubbing the slimy pre-cum up and down the shaft.

At that Marvelous’s body arches up, and Joe takes the opportunity to push his own dripping organ between his lover’s buttocks, and push into the tender hole.  The dual stimulation is more than Marvelous can take, and with a cry he arches and explodes in climax, and his hard writhings send Joe over the top as well.

Finally they collapse, limp and dripping sweat, breath dragging, hearts pounding.

Joe asks, “You’ve really never been touched like this before?”

“Not by a lover,” Marvelous responds enigmatically, and when Joe looks at him curiously, about to ask what that means, Marvelous just turns a disarming smile on him, but there’s a sharp dangerous spark in bright eyes.  And suddenly Joe comprehends.

After awhile when they’ve recovered a bit, still lying flat on the ground, Marvelous turns a bright challenging smile on his lover, and announces, “Now it’s my turn.”

And they go for round two.

Joe expects Marvelous to take him from behind, as he gets down on elbows and knees.  But Marvelous insists, “uh uh – turn around.  I want to see your face.  I don’t want to miss a single look on your face for everything I’m gonna do to you.”

Willingly Joe complies, rolling onto his back, and after foreplay that Marvelous paces to make it last, finally Marvelous lifts Joe’s long legs over his shoulders and takes him from the front.  Marvelous in in delighted ecstasy.  “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this to you.”

* * * * *

Afterwards, they’re lying there, naked, side by side, staring up at the sky, fingers intertwined.  Joe mentions, “I’m glad Yûki-san opened my eyes before it was too late for us.”

Marvelous remarks, “Well, I just hope Yûki-san was watching us tonight.”

Joe looks over at him, mutters lightly, “Hentai.”

Marvelous just shrugs innocently.  “Not hentai.  I just hope he knows that everything worked out, and he can rest in peace now … or at least go haunt somebody else.”

But Joe is not convinced.  “Hentai,” he repeats.

Marvelous rolls his head toward Joe, frowning suddenly.  “But none of this ‘dying in my arms’ foolishness.  Maybe that was okay for Ryû-san, but I won’t allow it.  In fact, dying is not allowed.  It’s in the contract.”

Joe eyes him curiously.  “What contract?”

“The contract when you signed up for the Gôkaigers.  It specifically states that dying while being a pirate will not be tolerated.”

“Mm, I guess I missed that section.”

“Yes, well, as your beloved and highly-respected captain, I’m telling you now – I will be extremely upset with you if you’re so careless as to try to die in my arms, any time in the next… eighty years or so.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”  Idly rubbing his fingers over Marvelous’s, Joe murmurs, “So, what are you thinking about right now?”

Marvelous smiles contentedly.  “I’m thinking how long it took you to figure it out.”

“Me?” Joe retorts, “don’t you mean _us_? how long it took _us_ to figure it out?”

But Marvelous’s head rolls negation.  “No – just you.  You remember when we first met?”

Joe snorts.  “How could I forget?”

“You remember what we said?”

“We said a lot of things – in between bashing the bucket-heads.”

“You said you didn’t have the money to pay me for rescuing you.”

“And you said you didn’t want any money.”  Joe’s face turns to his partner with growing enlightenment.  “You said you wanted _me_.”

A smug grin spreads over Marvelous’s face.  “I don’t see how I could have said it any plainer,” he surmises, while Joe just looks up at the sky and rolls his head in dry resignation.

Marvelous eyes his lover possessively.  “When I saw you in the middle of that mob of Zangyack soldiers, fighting with all your heart even though you had no chance of winning – you were bloody and just a few minutes from dying, but you refused to surrender – I knew then that _you_ were the treasure I’d been searching for.”

“So why didn’t you do something about it then?”

“I would have – if I’d known it was going to take this long for you to come around.”

“So that’s what attracted you to me – my swordsmanship and my fighting skill?  And here I thought it was just my hair.”

“mm…”  Marvelous can’t resist reaching over to finger the long tangled silken strands.  “Yeah, well, that might have had something to do with it too…”

Then sliding his hand down to trace a light fingertip down Joe’s naked thigh, Marvelous urges, “So what are _you_ thinking about?”

A tiny smile crooks one side of Joe’s lips.  “I’m just thinking this would be a hell of a time for the Zangyack to stage an attack.”  
* * * * *

 In a while Joe gets up, still nude, and starts walking away.

Still sprawled on the ground, Marvelous lifts his head to balk, “Oi, where are you going?  Leaving already?  Was I really that bad?”

“Baka,” Joe tosses back negligently.  “I’m going to go wash up in the creek.”  A casual glance over his shoulder.  “Well, are you coming? or are you just going to keep lying there like a turtle on its back?”

And that’s all the invite Marvelous needs.  “I’m coming, wait for me!”  He gets up and hurries after his lover.

In the river as they kneel in the water, Marvelous takes Joe from behind, caressing and kissing, then Joe takes him, bodies wet, slippery, hair dripping.

* * * * *

Some days later, everyone is relaxing on the Gokai Galleon.  Joe is sitting in a chair polishing his cutlass.  Ahim is reading, Luka is slouched on the couch, Don is in the galley fixing dinner.  Gai is his usual hyper self, bouncing off the walls non-stop.

As Marvelous strolls behind Joe on his way to the dinner table, he casually reaches over to lift Joe’s ponytail and let it run through his fingers intimately.  Immediately, interested suggestive murmurs run around the room.  Neither Joe nor Marvelous has said anything to anyone yet, but everyone has noticed the change in their two leaders – not to mention that Joe has been spending the last few nights in the captain’s quarters.

Still not comfortable with public displays of intimacy, Joe pulls the ponytail forward over his shoulder, out of Marvelous’ reach, as their captain passes by.  So then in reaction, Marvelous backtracks to Joe’s chair, deliberately pulls the ponytail back, then goes even further to pull the leather cord off, letting the long hair fall loose.  “I like it better this way anyway,” he murmurs, leaning forward for a light brush of lips against the black strands.

Whoops respond around the room.  “So, how was the wedding?” Gai prompts eagerly.

“Never mind the wedding,” Luka retorts naughtily.  “How was the wedding _night_?  Details, c’mon!”

“Luka!” Ahim gasps.

“What?” the other girl protests innocently.  “It’s about time they got around to it.  We all know that.”

“Wedding?” Don appears from the kitchen.  “This calls for a celebration.  And a wedding cake.  I’ll make the best cake in the world!”

Joe is getting more embarrassed.  “It’s nothing.  You don’t need to do anything.”

“Of course we do!” Luka insists.  “We’re family.”

“You’re our dearest friends,” Ahim added.  “This is the best news in the world!”

“Of course, we already figured it out,” Gai adds.  “But this _is_ the best news in the world!”

 

  
* * * * * FINIS * * * * *


End file.
